The invention relates, in general, to detector drawers in X-ray systems, and more particularly, to a telescoping rail comprising a plurality of rail elements with a driver for displacement motions of the rail elements relative to one another.
Telescoping rails may be used for longitudinally displaceable support of objects. For instance, they are used in drawers, in drawer-like devices such as detector drawers in X-ray systems, or in longitudinally adjustable tripods or mounts. The ability of compressing them and pulling them apart in a telescoping fashion may enable, similarly to a telescoping antenna, obtaining a long operative length in the pulled-apart or extended state and yet requiring relatively minimal space in the compressed or retracted state. In contrast to a telescoping antenna, in telescoping rails, a separate mechanism may be provided to assure that rail elements, located between the telescoping rails comprising more than two rail elements, follow the predetermined displacement motion while being pulled apart and pushed together. These rail elements are thus configured to be operatively slaved during the displacement motions engendered by the pulled-apart and compressed states. Typically, end stops on both longitudinal ends of each rail element are provided to mark end of travels or displacements for the compressed and pulled-apart states.
End stops enable the automatic correct positioning of intermediate rail elements only in the completely pulled-apart or completely compressed states. For in-between states of the telescoping rail, the end stops may not provide for a controlled positioning of the intermediate rail elements. Certain applications require that telescoping rails be capable of being pulled out in more than a single direction. Such applications may for instance be camera tripods or X-ray detector drawers of patient examination tables. For telescoping rails that can be pulled apart on both ends, conventional end stops are problematic in the sense that intermediate rail elements can be pushed out at the opposite side upon compression from one direction, instead of stopping and remaining at predetermined positions. As such, in X-ray detector drawers of patient examination tables, this arrangement may for instance mean that after the X-ray detector has been inserted into the examination table, such intermediate rail elements, may protrude from the examination table, thus creating a hindrance and a danger.